Can We Understand the Deep Sea Fast Enough to Protect It?

How can we understand the deep sea fast enough to protect it? During OceanX’s Digital Deep Expedition in Cabo Verde, scientists and engineers from OceanX, Cabo Verde’s Instituto do Mar (IMar), and the global Challenger 150 program teamed up to explore how machine learning, human expertise, and international collaboration could help scientists piece together a bigger picture of life in the deep sea. The expedition explored the Nola seamount complex, where deep-sea corals and sponges form vulnerable marine ecosystems that provide important habitat for a wide range of marine life. The team deployed a new machine-learning model that could one day help scientists predict where biodiversity occurs—and how vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems may respond to environmental change and human activity. This